The Extent and Nature of Crime in the U.S.
Crime is not a new social phenomenon. The history of the U.S. points to a country that has experienced many different types of crime that have been directly tied to events such as the American Revolution, the Civil War and immediately afterwards, the Industrial Revolution, prohibition, etc. The nature that crime takes depends, at least to some extent, on the historical backdrop. Early Americans fought ferociously against each other as they protected the ideologies of either the Tories (ties to the British) or the revolutionaries. Conflicts were intense between those who favored slavery and those who opposed it. Following the Civil War, hatred and racism lead to horrific violence committed against freed slaves and their supporters. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, native-born Americans (at least they considered themselves to be true Americans) pitted themselves against immigrant classes (Irish, Poles, Jews, Italians, etc.). The organizing of the working classes (e.g. unions) brought about violence as the two sides (the workers and the factory owners’ hired security forces) fought to uphold the best interest of their members. Attempts to ban alcohol from U.S. society by way of the 18th Amendment to the U.S. constitution produced a black market for alcohol. Many suggest that this era and policy produced organized crime and a period marked by mass murders as street-level entrepreneurs fought for territory and control over distribution of this highly desired product.
In more modern times, crime continues and its nature appears to shift somewhat from one decade to another. For example, in the 1980s and early 1990s, drive by shootings associated with inner-city juvenile gangs were at the forefront of most crime stories in major U.S. cities. Gang warfare, not unlike the era of prohibition, consisted of wars over territory as the Crips and the Bloods fought to claim what they saw as their areas with severe consequences for opposing gang members who found themselves in a rival gang’s neighborhood.
While acts of extreme violence provide the lead stories for the news (print and media), fodder for popular television shows, and material for blockbuster movies, video games, etc., floating under the radar are other acts of violence and property offenses that also wreak havoc on American communities.